All is Lost
by DeePwATr
Summary: The boat never came, and Ralph is captured by Jack, but not before he suffers a head injury that causes him to lose his memory. Now Jack has a second chance to make a first impression. But when Roger gets jealous, things get a bit more complicated. JackxRalph and maybe other pairings as story moves on.
1. Chapter 1

All is Lost

"Stop Right there, Ralph." Jack stood behind the blonde boy with a spear pointed at the back of his neck. Ralph turned, he clearly had no intention of going anywhere. He looked exhausted. He looked hopeless. Jack and his hunters had been chasing him all day, it was dusk now and there was a cool breeze flowing through the air. They were standing on the beach where just a short time ago the boys had met each other. Who would have ever thought it would end like this.

Just then Roger charged out of the jungle. Ralph shuddered, he was holding the stick sharpened at both ends in his hands. He came up and stood next to Jack, looking Ralph down from head to toe. "Why don't you just kill me now and get it over with," Ralph suggested. He knew his time was up, he knew what was going to happen. _I can finally be with Simon and Piggy._

"My pleasure," Roger said with a smirk as he advanced towards him. Much to Ralph's surprise, however, Jack grabbed Roger by the shoulder.

"No," he commanded, "We're not killing him, go get a vine and tie him up. We're bringing him back to camp with us." Roger looked as if he was about to protest but then decided not to go against his chief. But before he went into the jungle, he slammed the side of his spear into Ralph's stomach. Ralph gasped, the wind had been knocked out of him. He fell to the ground and put his head in the sand.

Jack kneeled down next to him and traced his finger from the small of Ralph's back up to his neck, which he then grabbed with his whole hand. He brought his mouth next to Ralph's ear and said; "Did you really think you could escape?" Ralph didn't reply. "What's the matter Ralph? Scared?" He laughed, "Don't worry, we'll take good care of you."

"Why the hell aren't you just killing me?" Ralph finally shouted. He wanted Jack to kill him. He didn't want to stay on the island, especially not as Jack's prisoner.

"Well that would just be a waste," Jack replied.

"There is no way I'll ever become one of you. I'm not a _savage_!" Shouted Ralph. Jack looked at him with a mocking smile.

"Well, that's not really your choice, is it?" Ralph felt like he was going to throw up at this comment. _I really don't have a choice, I'm powerless._ Just then, Roger returned with the vine. He went around behind Ralph and began to tie up his hands. He tied them way to tight, on purpose, Ralph was sure. Ralph began to struggle.

"Stop moving," Roger hissed, but Ralph didn't obey. "Damn it, stop moving!" After the blonde still continued to fight back, Roger picked up his spear like a baseball bat, swung and made contact with the left side of Ralph's head. So hard the stick cracked in half. Ralph fell to the ground, unconscious. Jack rolled his eyes.

"Really Roger? Was that really necessary?" Jack asked. Roger shrugged.

"He wouldn't stop moving." Jack sighed.

"Now we have to carry him all the way back to camp."

"I thought you lived for challenges chief," Roger said with a laugh, "Besides, he weighs like ten pounds."

_He might be small, but he put up a hell of a fight _thought Jack. He almost felt guilty taking him as a prisoner. _Snap out of it Jack, this is all you have wanted. To be better than him. To win. _But he couldn't shake it, he looked down at this blonde boy, unconscious at his feet, and all he could feel was pity.

**So there are like a million "the boat never came" stories on here, but I thought I would try and put a twist on it. This is sort of just a prologue, I know it's really short, future chapters will be longer. I would like to point out that the first few chapters of this story are pretty uneventful (and short)****, but things start to get interesting around chapter 4, so I encourage you not to judge this story on the first few chapters. Thanks for reading! (Also, believe it or not I do not own Lord of the Flies)**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jack and Roger carried Ralph all the way back to Castle Rock. The rest of the hunters had returned there earlier after tiring of searching for Ralph. Once they had almost reached the entrance to the camp, Jack said to Roger; "Geez, remind me never to get in a fight with you. He's still out cold!" Roger smiled, he cherished compliments from Jack.

When the rest of the boys saw them, whispers and mutters started to go through the camp. 'Is he dead?' 'If he was dead why would they tie him up?' 'What are they going to do to him?' 'They're probably going to make an example out of him.'

Jack ordered Roger to bring Ralph to his cave, then he turned to address his tribe. "Listen up!" He yelled, although he didn't need to, all attention was already on him. "We have captured Ralph, alive. His is going to be a prisoner and kept in my cave. Nobody is to talk to him unless given permission by me. Understood?" There were nods of agreement from all the boys. Once the boys had dispersed he saw Roger standing beside the large bonfire at the center of camp and approached him. "Is he awake yet?" Jack asked.

"No, he's still out cold," Roger reported, with a twinge of pride. Jack started to become worried, he should have been awake by now. He decided to go up to his cave to check on him.

Meanwhile, Sam and Maurice were out in the jungle collecting wood for the fire. The boys had long given up hope of being rescued but they still kept a large fire going in the camp. "Are you surprised?" Said Maurice in the dark. This startled Sam, he had been lost in his own thoughts and sort of forgot that Maurice was there.

"What?"

"Are you surprised? That they didn't kill Ralph?" Maurice asked again.

"Oh, yeah. Definitely. I was scared I'd never see him again. Well, alive…" Answered Sam. "I…I'm just so thankful that they didn't. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if Ralph had died. It would have been my fault, well both Eric's and mine. We betrayed Ralph."

"You did what anyone else would have done in your position. Besides, Ralph would have been caught even if you hadn't told Jack where he was hiding."

"I just wish there was more I could have done to help him, I should've tried to talk Jack down, or, I don't know, something," Sam mumbled. Maurice put an arm around Sam's shoulder, Sam looked at him and then pulled away. "We should probably get back, we can't let the fire go out. I don't want Jack to punish us." Sam said, and then quickly headed off back in the direction of camp. A disappointed Maurice followed behind.

Jack pushed aside the pigskin curtain that served as a door to his cave. In the camp there were 3 caves, he had chosen the largest and nicest one as his own. It had a hole in the ceiling that allowed for light during the day and for him to have a fire at night. There was a fire burning right now and Jack could see the outline of Ralph's limp body lying on the ground. He approached it and sat down next to him. He pushed the blonde hair out of Ralph's eyes and wiped away a trickle of blood that was running down his cheek. The wound was on the left side of his head. It was on his temple and extended down to his cheek bone and up into his hair line. In the center was a thin, but deep gash that was surrounded by a dark purple bruise. _Wake up Ralph. _Jack truly did not want the boy dead, he never had. Sure, he couldn't stand him sometimes and had wanted to hurt him on more than one occasion, but never to kill him. _I better get him something for the wound._  
>Jack exited his cave and walked down to the stream to get some water to clean the gash on Ralph's head. As he walked he thought back to the early days when he and Ralph had been friends. When everything was still happy. All Jack had ever wanted back then was Ralph's approval. He was to Ralph then as Roger was to him now. But as time went on things had gotten worse, Jack's desire for approval turned to contempt and then he wanted to show Ralph he was better. Smarter. A better leader. <em>Well I got what I wanted. I won. Haven't I? <em>If it was any other boy on the island Jack would have considered himself the winner, hell, he probably would have killed them himself. But Ralph, Ralph had a different effect on him. He was different around him, and he didn't know why.

_Crap. Why can't I just accept that I hate him?_ Jack wanted to hate Ralph, he was sure Ralph hated him, but for some reason he couldn't. He had always been jealous of the blonde boy. Even in the beginning, when Ralph was voted the leader instead of him. Jack envied that the boys seemed to actually respect Ralph, whereas with himself, they just followed him out of fear and the fact he supplied them with pigs every now and again. Jack had realized long ago that he did respect Ralph. He admired his dedication and loyalty, especially to his friends. But most of all, he admired that Ralph never gave up. That is, until Jack captured him. _He actually wanted to die. Because of me. Because of what I put him through._

By now Jack had reached the stream, he filled a coconut shell with water and gathered some moss off of a tree. He then took the same walk back up to his cave, contemplating his feelings the whole way back. Once he was back, he began to clean Ralph's wound with the moss dipped in water. He wasn't sure what else he could do for the injury. He was sure that Ralph was going to have a very bad concussion.

Just when he was about to go to sleep, he heard Ralph emit a soft groan. _Thank god! He's awake. _Ralph stirred and eventually got up onto his knees, holding his head in his hands, which were still tied. He scanned the cave, he looked very confused. When his eyes finally met Jack's, Jack got the look of surprise and terror he expected, but the words he said were not at all what he was expecting.

_ "Who are you?"_

**Alright, I'm still not entirely happy with this, but the necessary back story has been told and I can move on. Also, I plan to update this story at least every Sunday, maybe more often if I manage to find time to work on it. Thanks for reading again!**


	3. Chapter 3

"_Are you upset they didn't vote for you?" Roger asked Jack. _

_ "No," the red head responded quickly, then he reconsidered his answer, "Well, maybe a little bit."_

_ "I know you would have made a better leader than that other boy," Roger said, stepping closer to Jack as he said this. Jack laughed, embarrassed at the compliment._

_ "I think I would have made a good leader as well, but Ralph, he isn't bad." He looked down the beach to where the blonde boy was. He was near the water, laughing with Simon and the fat boy._

_ "They just picked him 'cause he's pretty, when they realize he can't lead, they will all wish they voted for you." Jack did see some validity in this statement, the boy was beautiful, although he would never admit that. It was in that moment that Jack decided he didn't care about being the chief. If only he had kept that state of mind…_

When Ralph awoke he felt a cold, hard surface underneath him. His eyes shot open with the realization that he has in an unfamiliar place. When he lifted his head he felt a sharp pain pulse in his head, causing him to grimace. He pulled himself up so he was sitting on his knees, with his head in his hands. After the worst of the pain subsided, he began to look around, his eyes adjusting to the dimness surrounding him.

"Where the hell am I?" He whispered aloud to himself. His eyes went upwards to see a hole in the ceiling, letting bright light inside. Then, he saw something in the corner of his eye. A person. He made eye contact with the other boy. He was about the same age, maybe a bit older, he was tall and muscular and had red hair. "Who are you?" Ralph asked, almost in a whisper.

This seemed to catch the other boy off guard, his expression changed from smug to confused. After a second, however, he regained his composure. "Do you really think that will work, Ralph?"

"What? H-how do you know my name? Who are you? Where am I?" Ralph had backed up into the wall of the cave and was peering up the stranger, or who he thought was a stranger.

"Come on Ralph, this is just pathetic. Clever, but pathetic," Jack replied. The other boy didn't respond, he just kept staring at him. "Alright, I'll play along. My name is Jack, I know you because we've been on this island together since the plane crashed." An alarmed look crossed Ralph's face.

"Plane crash?" Right after he finished the question another round of pain coursed through his head. He let out a pained gasp and rested his head against the cave wall. Then everything went black.

Jack just stood there, not knowing what to think. _If he is faking it, he's doing a damn good job. But what if he isn't? Roger did hit him pretty hard._ There was no way to tell. _Unless…_

Jack came up with a plan, if Ralph didn't remember him, he wouldn't remember Roger. Ralph had never liked Roger, and he didn't hide it well. Whenever they were talking together Ralph would eye him suspiciously and act all awkward. _But if he doesn't remember him, he won't have anything to be suspicious of…_

He quickly left his cave to go and find Roger, it was early and most of the boys were still in their caves. However, Roger was already up placing some logs on the fire in the center of camp. Jack approached him.

"Good morning, chief," Roger greeted him in his monotone voice.

"Yeah, listen Roger, I need your help," Jack ushered him closer. This had Roger interested.

"Anything."

"Well, Ralph woke up, and, either he lost his memory or he's pretending like he did. I need your help to see if he's telling the truth or not," Jack said quickly. Roger didn't say anything for a second, then scoffed. "What?"

"Well, this is all terribly convenient, don't you think?" Roger answered.

"I know, I know…it's just that it really doesn't seem like he's faking it."

"So what's your plan?"

"Okay, so you know how the two of you never really got along?" Jack asked.

"Neither did the two of you," pointed out Roger.

"Yeah, but he never seemed…comfortable around you, you know?" Roger just grunted in reply. "Anyway, I just need you to go up there and talk to him. I'll watch and see if he acts differently."

"This doesn't really sound like a very foolproof plan…" Roger thought out loud.

"It will work, trust me."

**Alright, all these chapters are so short. I promise they will start getting longer, and more interesting. Thank you for taking the time to read (and review as 1 person has so nicely done). I really appreciate reviews, they help me know if I'm doing this right :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: When italics are being used, it's a flashback or an earlier event on the island. If it's just one sentence or two, it's a character's thought.**

_Jack was sitting in the shade under a palm tree. It was especially hot that day, the usual ocean breeze was non-existent, leaving the boys no relief from the heat. He was using his knife to sharpen a stick. He planned to kill one of the pigs today, and hopefully win the admiration of the group in the process._

_ "Hey Jack," he looked up to see Ralph standing over him. "What are you doing?" Ralph sat down next to him._

_ "I'm making a spear, I'm gonna go hunting and kill one of those pigs. It would be nice to have something other than fruit to eat," explained Jack. Ralph didn't look as excited as Jack thought he would. Jack wondered if maybe he didn't like the idea of killing an animal_. Cute. Cute? Did I just think of another boy as cute? Geez, this island is really going to my head.

_"Oh, uh, cool," Ralph said, sounding like he was trying to convince himself that it actually was, "I'm sure everyone would really appreciate that." He smiled a genuine smile at Jack and Jack found himself staring at his lips instead of his eyes. _What is wrong with me?

Jack couldn't believe it, Ralph had passed his test. He hadn't been sure if it really would prove anything, but as soon as he saw him talking to Roger, he knew. Ralph had always looked uneasy when around Roger and he would never make eye contact with the other boy. He had once told Jack that he just didn't get a good feeling around Roger. Jack had been had been a bit insulted, considering Roger was his best friend, but deep down he understood. It seemed all the other boys on the island had the same feeling.

But today had been different, Ralph didn't act like he usually did. Instead, he just looked at Roger in the same confused manner he had looked at Jack at first. He certainly didn't look comfortable by any means, but that probably had something to do with waking up in a strange place with strange people.

Jack had no idea how to approach this situation. _If he doesn't remember anything, then he isn't a threat anymore…he can become part of the tribe! _The thought of this thrilled Jack. Things could be how they were when they first came here, when everyone had been happy and friendly. He decided he would go talk to Ralph, and try to figure out for sure what he was going to do.

"Hey, Sam! Wait up!" Sam turned to see his twin brother, Eric, jogging towards him. He was out in the jungle looking for some fruit for breakfast.

"Good morning, Eric," Sam greeted his brother.

"Looking for something to eat?" Eric asked.

"_Looking,_" replied Sam. Most of the fruit trees near the camp had been picked bare. People had just picked fruit off them whenever they wanted, often taking more than they needed. Luckily, Jack had come up with the bright idea of placing a limit on how much fruit people were allowed to take each day. Still, the boys had to venture farther away when they wanted some now.

"Well, I'll look with you." The brothers continued on through the forest. They walked in silence for a while, ignoring the elephant in the room. Both boys knew that Ralph's capture was effectively their fault and anything that happened to him was because of them. Finally one of them addressed it.

"What do you think they will do to Ralph?" Sam blurted out. Eric didn't answer immediately and instead toke a moment to think.

"Um, I don't know," he paused again, "I think that if they were going to kill him, they would have done it already."

"I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing," Sam replied, almost in a whisper. Eric just slowly shook his head, he didn't know either. _Who knows what they're doing to him in that cave._ He didn't say this aloud, knowing how hard his brother would take it. He knew Sam felt especially culpable for what happened to Ralph. Not that he didn't, his brother just took it much harder.

"Maybe they will let him join us," Eric offered, although he knew it was a long shot.

"Yeah. Maybe," Sam mumbled. Eric decided to change the subject.

"So what were you and Maurice talking about last night?" Sam considered this question for a moment.

"We were basically having the same conversation that _we're_ having right now," answered Sam, "He was being really nice." He smiled and looked down at his feet. Eric giggled knowingly. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing," Eric replied unconvincingly. They continued walking in silence for a minute. "Do you like him?"

"Uh, yeah, like as a friend," Sam replied, but his blush told Eric all he needed to know.

Ralph sat in the cave alone. The red-head boy had told him not to leave but Ralph wasn't sure he could stand sitting there for much longer. The other boy who had come in had told him that they were on an island that a plane they were all flying on had crashed on. Ralph didn't remember this, he never remembered flying on a plane ever in his life.

The last thing Ralph could recall before waking up that morning was sitting in history class and listening to his teacher go on and on about the French Revolution. According to Jack and the other boy, he hadn't told Ralph his name, they had been on the island for quite a while, several months maybe. _How can I not remember __**any **__of that? _Ralph found himself wondering. _How did I lose all those memories? This stupid headache must have something to do with it. _

The pain wasn't as bad as it had been earlier that morning, but it still hurt. Sometimes he would get all dizzy and feel like he was going to faint. He put his hand on the wound on the side of his head, it stung. He decided he would ask Jack how he got it when he came back. _That boy is strange. He looks almost guilty whenever he looks at me. _

In the middle of that thought, the pigskin curtain covering the entrance was pulled back and Jack stepped inside. "Hey Ralph," he said.

"Hi."

"Do you want to go for a walk?"

"Yeah, sure," Ralph replied, trying not to show how eager he was to get out of the cave. Jack smiled.

"Great! Follow me." Jack took Ralph's hand and led him out of the cave. Once they were outside Ralph had to remove his hand from Jack's grasp to shield his eyes from the sun. Other than being blinded, it felt amazing outside. There was a nice ocean breeze and the air tasted salty.

Once his eyes adjusted to the brightness, Ralph visually explored the unfamiliar place. In front of him was a large open space with a fire in the center and past that the ocean. To his right there was a large rock wall and to his left was the jungle. "It's beautiful," he gasped.

"Yeah," Jack laughed, "You'll get used to it." He looked over at Ralph, whose sapphire eyes were staring out at the ocean. "Do you want to go down to the beach?"

"Definitely," replied Ralph with a smile. As they walked down to the beach, Jack noticed all the boys watching them. It occurred to him that they didn't yet know that Ralph wasn't a threat anymore. He decided he would assign Roger to make that known throughout the camp.

When they reached the water Ralph waded in up to his knees. As Jack watched him, he remembered how much Ralph used to enjoy swimming in the ocean. "You gonna go all the way in?" Asked Jack. Ralph laughed.

"No, I don't want to get soaked. Yet at least." He left the water and returned to Jack.

"Let's walk down the beach, I want to talk to you," suggested Jack.

"Sounds good to me," Ralph responded. The two boys began to make their way away from the camp. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, I was wondering, like, what's the last thing you remember? Do you recall the island at all?"

"Not at all," Ralph answered, "The last thing I remember is sitting in my history class."

"Oh, okay," Jack replied. He couldn't have been more thrilled by this answer. _Finally, Ralph. We can be friends again. _

"I've been meaning to ask you, how did I get this wound on my head?" When Ralph asked this Jack began to panic. He didn't want to lie to him but he also didn't want to lose him all over again.

"Uh, you, um, fell," then he added, "At least we think you did, we found you out in the jungle. It looked like you hit your head on a rock. That's what caused you to lose your memory." He sort of surprised himself at how easily he had been able to come up with that.

All Ralph had to say was 'wow.' He didn't question it, or if he did he did so silently. They continued on walking for quite a bit after that. Jack told Ralph all about the other boys on the island and cool places he had discovered. He carefully avoided talking about previous events that involved Ralph. He wasn't sure how Ralph would respond to knowing that he used to be their leader.

Suddenly, he felt Ralph against his shoulder. He looked over to see that the other boy was holding his head. _He must be having another spell._ "Here Ralph, let's sit down." He took the other boy's arms and helped him into sitting position, then he lowered himself to the sand next to him. Much to Jack's surprise, Ralph rested his head on his shoulder. Jack could hardly breathe, his heart skipped a beat and his stomach felt like it was doing flips. He then reached his arm around and put it around Ralph's shoulders. He couldn't believe how much he loved the feeling of the smaller boys frame against his own.

"Well this is a great first impression I'm making," Ralph joked in a soft voice. Jack could tell he was exhausted.

"I already have my first impression of you, I haven't lost _my _memory," Jack joked back. Ralph laughed.

"Right, I forgot," Ralph said. The two sat there for a long time and watched the waves rise and fall. Jack would have given anything for that moment to have lasted forever. It was the first time in a very, very long time that he had been truly happy.

**Finally, a decently long chapter. What do you guys think of the flashbacky things at the beginning of each chapter? I personally enjoy writing them and I think they provide good insight, but if people would rather I just get to the real story I can do that. Hope you enjoyed!**


	5. Chapter 5

_Ralph sprinted through the jungle, jumping over rocks and fallen logs and pushing branches out of his way. He was furious, Jack and his hunters may have just destroyed the only chance the boys had at being rescued. Ralph had asked them to keep the signal fire going but instead they went off hunting. Ralph couldn't stand being on this island anymore. None of the other boys seemed to care at all, they spent their days hunting and playing. Basically anything other than doing something productive. _

_ He reached a small clearing and fell to his hands and knees. Tears ran down his cheeks and he found himself chocking on his own sobs. He missed his family, he missed home, and he missed not having to worry all the time. Suddenly he heard a voice behind him._

_ "Well, isn't this a surprise." Chills went down Ralph's spine. _Roger_. He wiped the tears away from his eyes and turned around._

_ "What do you want?"_

_ "Nothing," Roger smirked, "Just enjoying the view." Ralph looked down at his feet and bit his lip. "What are you crying for? If anyone should be crying, it's Jack. I think you broke his heart." Ralph couldn't tell if this was sarcasm or not._

_ "Broke his heart? As if he has one," Ralph retorted. Of course he didn't actually believe this, but he was still quite angry at Jack. He hadn't yet forgiven him for his mistake, but he knew he was truly a good person._

_ "Oh, he does. And there is a special place in it for you," revealed Roger. "After you yelled at him earlier, he wasn't angry because you insulted him, he was angry because he had disappointed you. I don't know why, you never even thanked him for hunting."_

_ "Well if we had been rescued, we wouldn't need pigs now would we?" _

_ "And why do you want to be rescued anyway? Scared everyones gonna realize you're a shit ruler?" Ralph looked at Roger insolently. "That's right, I said it. Just because Jack has a place for you in his heart doesn't mean I have one in mine." Ralph was beginning to lose his patience._

_ "You think you could be a better leader than me, Roger? Everyone hates you, you're a sadistic freak!" _

_ "The only reason you're in charge right now is because you're some pretty, blonde, sailor's son. You haven't done anything yet." He approached Ralph and Ralph felt all his muscles tighten. Roger then did something Ralph didn't expect; he caressed his cheek with the back of his hand._

_ "Don't touch me," Ralph ordered, stepping backwards._

_ "Don't tell me what to do," Roger snapped. He pulled his hand back across his body and behind his head. The next thing Ralph saw was the other boy's hand speeding towards him. It struck him in the cheek so hard it caused him to lose his balance and fall to the ground. Roger stood over him. "As far as I'm concerned, Jack is my chief now, don't ever try and tell me what to do again." After that, Roger left the clearing and disappeared into the jungle._

_ Ralph lay on the ground for a few moments after he left, trying to gather his thoughts. He decided that Roger had been right about one thing, he had been too harsh on Jack. So when Ralph finally got to his feet, he went off in search of the red-head. _

_ When he reached the camp, Ralph asked Maurice if he had seen Jack. Maurice told him that he had gone to the stream to get water. Ralph thanked him and then jogged in the direction of the stream to find him._

_ Several minutes later Roger also returned to camp. He approached Maurice. "Where's Jack?"_

_ "Geez, he's popular today," Maurice commented._

_ "Why do you say that?" Roger asked._

_ "Ralph was just asking for him," Maurice replied. _

_ "Where?"_

_ "He's at the steam." Roger started off in the direction of the stream. He wondered what Ralph had to say. He thought that maybe Ralph was going to tell Jack what he had done to him, but then he decided that it wasn't likely. Ralph had too much pride. He reached the stream just in time to see Ralph tap Jack on the shoulder, who was kneeling by the water and filling a coconut shell. Roger hid behind a rock and watched the exchange._

_ "Ralph?" Jack stood._

_ "Hey Jack, I-uh, I wanted to talk to you," mumbled Ralph, who was avoiding Jack's gaze._

_ "Sure. Wait, what happened to your face?" He brought his hand up to Ralph's face and lightly touched the bruise that was forming on his cheekbone. Ralph turned his head away. Roger felt a twinge of jealousy in his stomach._

_ "It's nothing, I wasn't looking where I was going and I walked into a tree," lied Ralph._

_ "That's a weird angle," Jack commented, obviously not fully believing Ralph. The blonde boy just shrugged. Jack decided to move on. "So, what did you want to talk about?"_

_ "Oh, um, about earlier. I overreacted and I'm sorry," he looked up into Jack's wild green eyes, biting his lip as he waited for a response. Jack loved this look, he did it whenever he was nervous._

_ "You don't have to apologize, Ralph. I messed up, I screwed it up for all of us. Everything you said was justified. I'm sorry," Jack admitted. Ralph could feel tears coming to his eyes again. _

_ "No, I shouldn't have said the things I said, it's just that I-," he was truly crying now, "I'm scared. I'm scared I'm never going to be able to go home again." Jack couldn't resist. He pulled the smaller boy into an embrace. He put one hand on his back and ran the other through his blonde hair. Ralph buried his face in Jack's neck and Jack could feel his tears on his shoulder._

_ "It's okay, Ralph. We will get off this island. If there was one ship, there's bound to be another. We will get off this island, I promise you," Jack comforted. He heard Ralph sniff and then he pulled away from Jack's grasp. Ralph wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand._

_ "Thank you, Jack," Ralph whispered._

_ "Anytime," Jack responded. He looked down at the blonde boy and again found himself looking at his soft, pink lips. Before he knew what he was doing, he took Ralph's chin with his thumb and pointer finger and pulled him into a gentle kiss. Roger couldn't believe his eyes, he found his hands curling into fists. _

_Ralph was tense at first, but then relaxed. After a few seconds, however, he tensed again and pulled away. His cheeks were crimson. "Sorry, I-uh, I have to go, I promised, um, Simon I would help him with something," Ralph choked out before running away._

_Jack just stood there for a few moments before running his hand through his hair and whispering 'shit.' He turned and kicked the water in the stream. Roger, who was still watching, was in shock. _This explains a lot.

_Meanwhile, Ralph had just returned to camp. Simon saw his friend and waved, but Ralph didn't wave back. He was pacing back and forth in front of the fire. Simon sensed something was up and curiosity got the better of him. He approached Ralph._

_ "Good afternoon, Ralph," he greeted cheerfully._

_ "What? Oh, hi Simon," Ralph responded, clearly preoccupied._

_ "You look like you've seen a ghost," Simon stated. Ralph let out a half laugh, half scoff._

_ "Something like that," he answered._

_ "Don't tell me you're starting to believe in the beast too," joked Simon._

_ "It's not that…"_

_ "Well what is it then?" He put on a friendly smile, trying to show Ralph that he could tell him anything._

_ "Not here," Ralph told Simon. He grabbed his arm and pulled him out of earshot of the other boys. Ralph was breathing heavily and let out a sigh before addressing Simon. "So you know how Jack and I were fighting earlier today?"_

_ "Yes," Simon answered simply._

_ "Well I decided that I should apologize to him, cause, well, I was kind of a jerk to him," Ralph was talking so fast that Simon almost couldn't understand him, "So I went to say sorry to him and-"_

_ "Did he hit you?" Simon interrupted. _

_ "What?" Then Ralph remembered the bruise on his face, "Oh, no."_

_ "What happened to your face then?"_

_ "I walked into a tree."_

_ "A tree?"_

"_Yes…"_

"_How?"_

"_I wasn't paying attention, I guess."_

"_But it's, like, right under your eye. How did you not see the tree there?"_

"_Not really important, Simon."_

"_Right, sorry, continue." Ralph took another deep breath._

"_Okay, so I apologized to him and he took it really well-"_

"_Wouldn't a tree leave a scratch instead of a bruise?"_

"_Simon!"_

"_Sorry, sorry."_

"_As I was saying, he took the apology really well. He even said it wasn't my fault. So we talked for a while after that…and then he kissed me…" Ralph waited for Simon's response. Simon's eyes went wide._

"_WHAT?"_

_Roger was still situated behind the rock watching Jack, although there wasn't all that much to see. Jack had just been sitting there, with his feet dangling in the stream, for the past half an hour. In that time Roger had devised a plan and was about to put it to use._

_Roger left his hiding spot and walked over to where Jack was sitting and lowered himself next to the red-head. "What's up?" Jack turned to look at Roger with a blank expression._

"_Nothing, how about you?"_

"_Same I guess," said Roger. The two sat there for a few moments before Roger began to execute his plan. "Listen, Jack, I have something I need to tell you, and it isn't going to be easy to hear." Jack looked at Roger with a concerned expression._

"_What is it?" He asked slowly._

"_I overheard Ralph and Piggy talking today and you need to know what they said," Roger paused to give Jack a chance to respond, but Jack just continued to look at him with the same concerned/confused stare, so Roger continued, "Piggy told Ralph that you were a threat and that you couldn't be trusted. He said that Ralph had to find some way to get you to be…controllable. Piggy said that he could tell you're in love with Ralph, which I know you aren't, I'm just saying what he said. Then he told Ralph that he should act all sad and get you to let your guard down, to make you like him even more. They're trying to manipulate you," Roger lied. "Did Ralph ever do anything like that today?"_

"_Uh, no," Jack responded in a state of disbelief._

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Yeah, yeah I'm sure."_

"_Okay." Roger paused for another few moments, then said, "I know you thought you and Ralph were good friends, but he's just trying to use you."_

"_I-I can't believe this, Ralph and I…we, we've been friends since the first day on the island and then one fight and he doesn't trust me anymore," Jack stuttered. Roger had joy coursing all throughout his body at Jack's reaction, but he maintained a solemn exterior. _This will put a stop to whatever was going on between them_ he thought. _

"_I know, but you have to move on, Jack. I think it's time you became the leader," Roger stated._

"_Maybe it is," Jack agreed. Roger placed his hand over Jack's, which was resting on the ground next to him._

"_And no matter what, you'll always have me."_

**_The reviews for the last chapter motivated me to write another one quickly. I'm also pretty satisfied with this chapter, I know it didn't progress the main story, but I think it provides good background. I've decided that I'm going to continue doing the flashbacks/early island stories. This will be the only one where it's a full chapter because I feel bad ignoring the main story. Again, thanks for reading! Reviews, favorites and follows are all also greatly appreciated!_**


	6. Chapter 6

"You can't be serious, Jack," Roger shouted. The two boys were standing in Jack's cave and a heated argument was starting to brew.

"I am serious," Jack replied calmly.

"This doesn't make any sense! We spent all that time hunting him down, with plans to _kill _him, but instead you took him prisoner. I was fine with that, to an extent, but now you want to let him join our tribe? That's ridiculous!" This was the first time ever that Roger had ever yelled at Jack, and Jack was not sure how to respond.

"He's not a threat anymore, he doesn't remember anything from the island," Jack reminded Roger.

"That doesn't mean he's a different person! Ralph is still Ralph, losing his memory changes nothing," Roger argued. "The others will lose respect for you if you grant him mercy."

"No they won't, they all love Ralph. Killing him would terrify them and keeping him prisoner is pointless. If he is one of us, he can contribute," said Jack. There was a long silence before Roger responded.

"We wouldn't be having this argument if it was anyone besides Ralph."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. Ralph always comes first for you. I'm starting to wonder if this was your plan all along. To act like you were chasing after Ralph to kill him, but take him prisoner instead. Him forgetting everything that happened was just a huge plus. You probably would've let him join us even if he hadn't," accused Roger. He looked at Jack, who had a glare of angriness in his eye.

"My decision is final," Jack declared in a quiet but harsh voice. Roger knew there was no more arguing to be done at this moment. Jack brushed past him and exited without saying another word. Roger just stood there, not knowing what to do.

Jack had left Ralph at the beach before he had gone to talk to Roger. He decided to return there so he could cool down a bit. Jack estimated that it was sometime around noon, although he really didn't have much of an idea. Time didn't matter much anymore.

When he reached the beach, he saw Ralph laying on his back in the sand and staring up at the sky. When noticed Jack was there he said, "I've never seen the sky this blue before." Jack looked up, there wasn't a cloud in sight.

"Yeah, it's beautiful," Jack agreed, but when he said this, he was looking at Ralph. "How's your head feel?"

"Better, I guess," answered Ralph, who was still looking upwards.

"That's good," Jack said.

"I feel a lot less…" Ralph took a moment to search for the right word, "_cloudy_ today."

"Like the sky?" Jack asked in a half joking manner, Ralph laughed.

"Yeah, like the sky," he repeated. After a few more minutes of sky-watching, Ralph stood up and brushed the sand off of his shorts.

"Where are you going?" Asked Jack.

"Swimming," Ralph declared.

"Good idea, I'll go with you, I'm dying of heat."

"Great!" Ralph jogged over to the water and let the tide wash over his sandy toes, "Feels good," he announced.

"Does it?" Jack went over to the water and put his hand in, "You're right." After that he swept his hand, splashing Ralph.

"Hey!" Ralph returned the favor and within a few seconds the two of them were in an all-out splashing match. They both laughed and ran around in the waves and for a second, Jack really thought that he had been transported back to the early days on the island.

As Jack was laughing, Ralph splashed him right in the mouth. "Oh, sorry, Jack," Ralph expressed, slowly approaching him to make sure he was okay.

"First rule; never feel sorry for your opponent," Jack joked. Then he lunged forward and tackled Ralph by the waist. They landed with Jack on top of Ralph, laying in the shallow water.

"You got me," said Ralph with a smile.

"Yeah. I never lose," Jack jested, both laughed.

"I can believe that," Ralph responded, "So, um, how long are we gonna lay here like this?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," Jack said as he stood, he gave Ralph his hand and pulled him up. "Hey, so I was thinking, I want to have a feast tonight to celebrate."

"Celebrate what?" Ralph asked. Jack hadn't thought this all the way through. The feast was going to be for Ralph joining the tribe, but Ralph couldn't know that he had ever not been part of the group.

"Um, well to celebrate you….recovering," Jack replied.

"Oh, cool, sounds like fun. It'll give me a chance to meet everybody, well, re-meet everybody," said Ralph.

"Cool, I'll start making preparations," Jack told him. They said goodbye and Jack returned to camp to form a hunting party. He also knew going hunting would be a good way for him and Roger to make-up, Roger loved hunting.

As he made his way back, he saw Roger placing some logs on the fire. He approached him, hoping that his second in command wasn't too frustrated with him. But he still really didn't understand why Roger was so against letting Ralph join them.

_Something must have happened between the two of them, but what? _Jack thought back to the night before when he had asked Roger to spread the news that Ralph had lost his memory. Roger didn't seem to fully believe that Ralph wasn't lying about it. He wished that the two of them might be able to get along better now, although he knew Roger wasn't one to change his mentality towards something.

"Hey Roger," Jack greeted him.

"Chief." This was all Roger had to say in return. Jack was surprised by the lack of reaction.

"I want to go hunting and catch a pig for the feast we will be having tonight," announced Jack. This caught Roger's attention, as Jack knew it would, and he became much more interested in the conversation.

"Hunting?" Roger exclaimed in an excited shrill voice. Clearly embarrassed by this, he then looked around to make sure nobody saw his slip. He cleared his throat and continued; "Uh, sounds good. Should I gather some people to go with us?"

"Yeah," Jack replied, trying not to laugh at his friend's reaction to going hunting, "and make sure that we have the supplies for the face paint."

"Of course," Roger said before leaving to complete his tasks. Jack spent the next several minutes trying to decide how to paint his face. There were only 2 colors to work with, an orangish-red clay that they collected from the stream bed and black from the ashes of the fire. Jack made an effort to change his design every time, unlike Roger, who always painted his face solid black. It was quite unsettling, to say the least.

Jack had invited Ralph to go with them as a formality, since he knew the blonde boy would say no. He had never gone hunting and he never ate any of the meat. He felt sort of bad leaving him alone but he figured he could manage. _Plus I can't have people seeing me spend too much time with him, they might get suspicious…_

Then Roger returned with Henry, Robert and two other boys. Jack preferred to keep the hunting parties small, when there were too many people they just got in each other's way. "Okay chief, here's our group," he turned and addressed them, "Alright, you know the drill, put your paint on and get a spear." The four boys followed his orders immediately, leaving Roger and Jack standing there alone. Roger spoke up; "Hey Jack, listen, I wanted to say sorry about earlier. I was out of line. You're my chief and I trust your judgment, if you think that Ralph should be part of the tribe, I support you." In truth, Roger still didn't want Ralph in the tribe, but he wanted to maintain his relationship with Jack more.

"I'm glad to hear you say that, Roger. And I forgive you," Jack responded, beyond happy to be past his argument with the other boy.

"Thanks."

"No problem, now go get ready," Jack ordered. Roger turned and went to go get his spear. Jack went off to go put his paint on, but when he turned he saw Ralph leaning against the rock wall behind him, his eyes scanning around the camp.

"You sure you don't want to go with us?" Jack said as he walked over to him.

"I'm afraid I wouldn't be much help," Ralph disclosed.

"Well everyone's got to learn," Jack told him.

"I don't know if I want to…" muttered Ralph. Jack realized he was pressuring him.

"That's okay, there's other ways you can help."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, how about you paint my face for me," suggested Jack.

"Me? I, uh, I'm not sure I know how," Ralph responded.

"Sure you do, it's easy. You're a painter."

"How did you-," Ralph started before realization hit him, "Right, you know me but I don't know you."

"Well, let's fix that. You can ask me anything you want while do my paint," said Jack.

"Alright," Ralph agreed. The two of them walked over to a fallen log that had half coconuts on top of it that contained the 'paints.' Jack took a seat on the log while Ralph kneeled in front of it.

"I apologize for my lacking selection, I forgot to pack more colors," Jack joked, Ralph laughed.

"I'll manage," he remarked. He dipped his fingers in the clay and began to smear it on Jack's face. Ralph's touch gave Jack the chills. "Alright, so where are you from?"

"Twin Oaks," Jack responded.

"No way! So am I!" Ralph revealed excitedly.

"I know." Ralph laughed.

"Oooh, this is so weird!" He exclaimed.

"Okay, I won't do that anymore," Jack promised.

"Okay," said Ralph, he then paused to think of another question, "Do you have any siblings?"

"Nope, I'm an only child," Jack answered.

"Oh cool, I have an older sister-"

"Named Maggie and a younger brother named Devin," Jack interrupted. Ralph put his head in his hands and groaned, but he was smiling.

"You said you wouldn't do that anymore," he reminded Jack.

"That's the last time, I swear," Jack responded.

"You better not, or I'm done," Ralph warned with a smile, "Oh! Where did you go to school?"

"Lancingburg Academy," Jack replied.

"Well I'm sure you know where I went, so I won't even tell you," Jack nodded and Ralph laughed. He looked up at the sky, searching for another question, "Hmmm…I think I'm out," he concluded.

"That's it?" Jack asked, laughing. "All you want to know is where I lived, if I have siblings and where I went to school?"

"It's a lot of pressure to come up with questions," said Ralph, who was also laughing.

"Come on, you can think of one more," Jack urged him. Ralph scrunched his face up and bit his bottom lip, which sent butterflies through Jack's stomach.

"Hmmm…oh, um, here's one; who was your first kiss?" The feeling in Jack's stomach got much stronger after just hearing Ralph mention the word 'kiss.'

"Um, her name was Maddie Smith, in 7th grade," Jack answered, truthfully. "How about yours?" He asked. Ralph just looked at the ground and shook his head in response. _Was I his first kiss?_ "You've never kissed anyone?"

"Well, um, no. Unless my mom counts," he joked with a blush across his face. _Me. You kissed me Ralph, well, I kissed you, but we still kissed…_

"Interesting," was all Jack managed to say out loud. Ralph just laughed awkwardly. Luckily, Roger came over to them at that moment.

"You ready, chief?" Jack turned and looked at Ralph.

"Am I ready?" He asked looking to Ralph, who was averting his gaze.

"Yeah, I'm done," Ralph said to the ground.

"Cool, thanks." Ralph just nodded. Jack stood up and walked away to join the other boys who were going hunting.

Meanwhile, Sam and Maurice found themselves in just about the same situation they had been in several nights ago. Roger had sent them out to gather wood for the feast that night. They meandered around the jungle slowly, picking up sticks off the ground.

"Excited for tonight?" Maurice asked, Sam nodded.

"Yeah, we haven't had a feast in a while," Sam answered.

"Me too, I just can't wait to eat something other than fruit," Maurice admitted.

"Same, I'm scared that if I eat one more banana I'm going to turn into one." He regretted saying that the second he finished. _Good one, Sam, that was _real _funny. _Much to his surprise, however, Maurice laughed. _Why did he laugh at that? That's the dumbest thing I have ever said…_

The two of them walked in silence until they reached a tree that had a loose branch. "Hey Sam, hold my wood, I'm gonna get that branch."

"Oh, okay." Maurice proceeded to hand his arm load of sticks to Sam, then he approached the tree, rubbed his palms together and jumped to the lowest branch. Sam found himself watching _quite _intently. Maurice then made his way up the tree until he reached the loose branch, which he shook several times until it fell. He then leaped out of the tree and landed gracefully on the jungle floor.

"Impressed?" He asked Sam. _Oh my god, Eric was right, I like him, I totally like him…_

"Huh? Oh yeah, that was…swell…" Eric stuttered. _Swell? Of all the words I could have used, swell? What is wrong with me?_

"Well, I'm a swell guy," Maurice joked. Sam let out a nervous laugh? Squeal? He wasn't exactly sure what it was. _I am such an idiot._

They walked in silence again after that. _Think of something to say, Sam. Redeem yourself! _But Maurice beat him to it.

"Hey Sam, do you mind if I try something?"

"Uh, what?"

"Can I kiss you?" He asked calmly. Sam thought he was going to faint.

"Me? Can you? Uh, if you, um…" _Dammit Sam, say something!_

"Can I take that as a yes?" Sam just nodded. Maurice smiled. He took Sam's hand and pulled him closer. With his other hand, he took his chin and pointed it upwards, then he started to move his lips towards the other boys. Sam had to stand on his tip-toes to make contact with the other boy's mouth. When their lips touched, Sam felt like he was going to faint again. All of his limbs felt weak.

The kiss lasted for quite a few seconds. When they pulled apart, Sam just whispered 'wow.' Maurice smiled and then pushed Sam's back against a nearby tree. He then pushed their lips together with more force. Sam wrapped his arms around the taller boy's neck and pulled him closer. Maurice ran one hand through Sam's light brown hair while rubbing his hand up and down his back with the other.

Sam couldn't believe what was happening, if felt like a dream. A dream he hadn't known he had wanted until he experienced it. Here he was, pressed up against a tree with his lips against one of his best friends', and the jungle had never been hotter.

**So I have the next chapter written, but I'm not entirely happy with it so I'm making a few changes. I hope you like where this story is going, if not, let me know. Reading the reviews makes my day, so thank you!**


	7. Chapter 7

_ Ralph sat on a rock in the center of camp. He was trying to remember if it was the tenth or eleventh day they had been on the island. He finally settled on 10 days. He had never been away from home that long before. He wondered if his family missed him. If his dad was on a boat looking for him. What his fun things his friends were doing without him._

_ He thought about what a great story this would be to tell everyone when he got home. If. If he got home. He inhaled deeply to try and fill the pit he suddenly felt in his stomach. What if? What if he had to spend the rest of his life here?_

_ There was no arguing that the life of freedom and carelessness he had been leading for the past ten or eleven days had been the most fun he had had in his life, but reality was beginning to set in. They should have been rescued by now. It was the first time he had ever considered the possibility of this island being his indefinite home._

_ Jack's approach interrupted his thoughts. "You look serious," the red head commented._

_ Ralph cracked a smile, trying to convince both Jack and himself that he was fine, "I'm just thinking."_

_ "About what?"_

_ "Just stuff," he replied, when he saw that this answer did not satisfy Jack he continued, "Like about the things I miss back home."_

_ "Ah, so that's why you looked like Roger," Jack jested, "What things?"_

_ "I don't know, my family and my friends and painting and just other stupid stuff." _

_ "You paint? Well, I've finally gotten our mysterious leader to reveal something about himself, what a momentous occasion," said Jack sarcastically. _

_ "Mysterious? How am I mysterious?" Ralph asked with a laugh._

_ "Well you never talk about home or anything, it's always 'build a fire this, build a shelter that…'" Jack said mimicking Ralph's tone. Ralph laughed again._

_ "That isn't all I talk about! And I don't talk about home because nobody wants to hear about my boring life," Ralph explained._

_ "I do. I want to know everything about this so called boring life of yours, although I have a feeling you're just being humble when you call it boring."_

_ "I'm not, trust me."_

_ "Let me be the judge of that." Jack offered._

_ "If you insist. Let's see, I'm from Twin Oaks…"_

_ "No way…"_

_ "What?"_

_ "That's where I'm from!" Jack exclaimed._

_ "Are you kidding? You're kidding, nobody's from Twin Oaks!"_

_ "I am, I swear!"_

_ "That's so weird, how did we live in the same town and never meet each other?"_

_ "Well we went to different schools so I guess we never would have had a chance," Jack commented. The two boys would spend the remainder of the day laughing and discussing their lives before the island, clueless of what the future days would bring._

The feast had begun, the fire was roaring with a freshly killed pig roasting over it. Some boys were dancing around the fire, others were talking and laughing with each other. Ralph stood on the outskirts of the celebration, taking it all in. He was overwhelmed and mesmerized all at the same time.

He felt a tap on his left shoulder and turned to see a face he recognized as two people. "Uh, hi…"

"Eric," the other boy told him with a friendly smile. He and Sam had re-introduced themselves to Ralph on his second day in the camp.

"Sorry," Ralph laughed, "You and your brother look so similar."

"Don't worry, I'm used to it. What do you think of this?" Eric said gesturing to the festivities in front of them.

"Uh, it's definitely interesting," Ralph commented shakily.

"That's exactly how I felt the first time I saw it," Eric responded.

"Where's Sam, by the way?" Asked Ralph. Eric's eyes scanned the boys present at the feast, his brother wasn't one of them.

"Huh, I don't know. I actually haven't seen him in a while," said Eric, sounding somewhat concerned.

"I can help you look for him, if you'd like," Ralph offered. He suddenly felt the need to take a break from the feast

"No, its fine. I'm sure he'll be back soon."

"Alright."

"So," Eric started, trying to continue the conversation, "Do you remember _anything_ about what's happened here?" Eric couldn't help but notice that Ralph and Jack had seemed strangely close since the incident and he wondered if Ralph had any idea of what Jack had done to him.

"Nothing, it's really odd. The last thing I remember is sitting in school. Everyone has told me we're here because of a plane crash, I don't remember ever being on a plane in my life," said Ralph.

Eric wasn't sure how to approach this. Part of him wanted things to keep going the way they seemed to be going, everyone seemed happy to have Ralph back in the tribe, especially Jack, which Eric didn't quite understand. But nevertheless, if Jack was happy the tribe was happy. On the other hand, Eric felt that Ralph had a right to know about the events that had occurred there, regardless of the consequences. He decided to keep his mouth shut for the time being.

"I can't imagine how strange that must be," he commented. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me, or anyone for that matter."

"Thanks, Eric, I will." Ralph was happy to be making another friend here besides Jack. Everyone else seemed friendly enough, with the exception of Roger. But he couldn't shake the feeling that everyone was watching him at every moment. He felt as if they were all suspicious of him. And then there was Jack. He had been by far the most welcoming, but there was something there he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Ralph looked over in Jack's direction, he was standing with his hunters looking happier than ever. He made eye contact with him across the clearing, Jack smiled and waved at him. Ralph raised his hand in response and then turned away. _I'll ask Eric about him, not now, later. I need to know what more about him. _Then out of the corner of his eye he saw Sam and a taller boy (Maurice?) enter the camp.

"Hey, Eric, I think I found your brother," Ralph announced.

"Oh, thank god, I was really starting to get worried," Eric gasped. He looked over in the direction Ralph was looking and noticed Sam was with Maurice, a smile spread across his face. _So that's where you were. _"Thanks Ralph!" He exclaimed before heading off in the direction of his twin.

"Hey Eric," Maurice greeted him.

"Hi guys, where have you been?" Asked Eric suspiciously.

"Uh, we were just collecting firewood," Sam answered, much too quickly.

"Where is it?"

"Where is what?"

"The firewood."

"Oh, um, we didn't find any…" Sam responded, although it sounded more like a question.

"Right," said Eric, trying to keep himself from smiling, "It's really hard to find wood in the jungle." Sam's face turned bright red, clearly his brother knew.

"Well, we're going to get something to eat," Maurice stated after an awkward pause.

"Oh of course," Eric replied as the other two brushed past him, "Looking for wood really works up an appetite. Once the pair were far enough away, Eric burst out laughing. His brother couldn't lie if his life depended on it. In reality, Eric was glad his brother was connecting with someone other than him. Even if it was _that _kind of connecting.

Eric suddenly remembered he had abandoned Ralph and felt pretty bad, but when he turned around he saw that Jack was now talking to the blond. _What is he up to?_

"So what do you think?" Jack asked Ralph, referring to the celebration.

"It's…really cool," Ralph answered. Jack laughed, Ralph had never been much of a party animal.

"It'll grow on you, I promise," Jack told him, "I guess I should have come up with a more subtle way to welcome you to the group."

"No, no it's great! I'm having fun, don't worry about me," Ralph insisted.

"I know what we can do!" Exclaimed Jack.

"And what would that be?"

"Our dance! You have to dance with us if you're going to be part of the tribe."

"Oh, Jack, I'm not sure if I'm much of a dancer," Ralph said, trying to avoid the offer.

"Of course you are! Come on, it'll be fun," said Jack, nudging his shoulder as he did so.

"Alright, alright, I'll do it," said Ralph in mock annoyance, "You get it started or whatever and I'll join in, okay?"

"Deal," agreed Jack. With that he gathered most of the other boys and they started chanting.

"Kill the pig! Cut its throat…"

_That song…where have I heard that before?_

_ "_Bash it in! Drink its blood!"

Quick images and sounds flashed in Ralph's mind. It was all jumbled and he could only make out small bits of it, and even then he couldn't comprehend it.

_A fire. A feast. Screaming. Blood. So much blood. The pig's? No. No, a boy. He's dead. Who is he?_

Once again Ralph's head was overtaken by blinding shocks of pain, his vision blurred and his legs felt like they were going to give out. Suddenly, he felt a presence by his side.

"Ralph! Ralph are you alright?" Eric stood next to him and kept him from falling over. Slowly the pain ceased and Ralph regained his composure. "Ralph, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing, it's nothing. I just get these…spells, they must be from when I hurt myself, I'm fine now," Ralph said softly. His eyes were closed and he was still holding his head, but he seemed at least a little better.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, Eric, thank you." The chant had finally stopped and Jack was now at his side as well.

"What's the matter, Ralph? Is it your head again?" Jack asked, placing an arm around him.

"Yeah. It's over now, I'm okay." Ralph assured him.

"Well, it's getting late anyway, maybe I should take you up to my cave so you can get some rest," suggested Jack.

"I think that's a good idea." Jack helped Ralph to his feet and led him up to his cave. Some of the other boys resumed dancing while others stood in groups and talked worriedly about the event. Roger sat alone, just outside of the radius of light the fire was casting, and watched Jack and Ralph go up to the cave and disappear inside.

Once inside, Ralph sat down on the pigskin laid out on the floor. Jack noticed how pale he looked. He grabbed the remains of his black cape that had served as his uniform and placed it over Ralph's shoulders.

"Ralph, what's wrong?"

"I told you, it was just one of those spells I've been having," Ralph lied.

"I can tell it was more than that," said Jack, sitting down next to Ralph. Ralph looked down at his feet, he wasn't even sure what was bothering him.

"I…that song you were singing, it just kind of, scared me. That's all." Jack felt awful, he was just trying to make the feast fun for Ralph, he hadn't been trying to scare him. He sat down next

"Ralph, I'm sorry. That's just some stupid thing we say while we're hunting. If you don't like it, that's the last time we'll do it, I promise." He slid his hand over Ralph's. His mind was screaming at him not to, but he didn't seem to have any control over the action. Much to his surprise, Ralph didn't pull his hand away. Instead, he looked down at their hands and then up at Jack.

"Uh, thank you," he whispered.

"It's just a song Ralph, it won't kill us if we stop singing it."

"No, Jack. I mean for everything. You've been so kind to me. I know you're the leader and you must have so many things to do but you've done nothing but help me. I wish there was something I could do for you," said Ralph.

"I'm sure I could think of something," Jack answered. _Let me kiss you, Ralph. Let me hold you in my arms and protect you. Please._

"Well, let me know if you do."

"I will."

**Yikesss. So much for "I'll update soon," huh? I'm really sorry but my life has been super hectic the past few months. I literally had to re-read this story to remember what happened. At my school people have all been asking people to prom so it put me in a romantic mood, not like I've been asked or anything, but I can dream. Alright, nobody probably cares about any of that so I'll just say that I think I know what direction I'm going in but if anyone has any suggestions that would be cool. I think someone asked for a Simon/Roger side story but Simon's dead so I'm gonna skip that. I am thinking of a Ralph and Roger unromantic side story, though. Okay, so this is turning out to be longer that the chapter itself and I have a chemistry test tomorrow. Favorite, follow, review and such. Byee!**


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